Quiet time on the ranch. Forth of July has come and gone and I hate to admit "we did nothing". I watched the series John Adams all day on HBO and Jim fooled around on his computer. NADA accomplished on the ranch except watering and feeding LOL. Hey everyone needs a day to chill.

It has been over 100 degrees for over a week, now. The horses seem ok have plenty of water and chill out in Ladies stall as she has the only fan for the time being. They , Lady and Cody have fly masks on and realizing that they help love to have them put on and willingly taken off every night. Amazing how quick they learn

With the heat all training has come to a standstill as well as my recovery  and confidence riding. Lots of time comparing notes with DUH ( Down Under Horsemanship) friends and watching DUH videos too. Thankful that I have the tools on which to build on. My friend Amanda and the others agree I need "lots of roundpen work" me too. LOL. I just wish I had more room to work ing as both of us get frustrated going round and round..figure 8's and circles all in a tight area...but getting Lady to mind is frustrating at best. She remembers my handicap I am sure and is unwilling to relinquish control which is necessary in our relationship. Ground work does go well even though she anticipates me a lot.

The ranch is getting ready for Jim's family's annual visit. The kids are so looking forward to it but I wish the horses would be ready...they aren't and we can't afford to take them riding elsewhere. Last year , of course, the horses were at J Bar so it was a daily trip to visit and hang around the barn. I am hoping to at least duplicate the atmosphere here.  Thinking maybe some type of crafts with the kids and ..grooming of horses..walking them etc. My goal is to have the horses ready..next vacation to maybe even having all of us go camping at Land Between the Lakes. This year it maybe only a visit there and hopefully ride at their stables.

Just came in. I went out at 7:40 and I worked both horses for about 45 mins. Then we saddled up and rode in the pasture area and round pen till 10 AM. We took the horses out unsaddled and let them eat grass and since it was so hot we decided to introduce them to the hose. They absolutely loved their shower and kept munching grass all the while. We put them back in and let them go instead of tying them..since they had had their quiet think time. Lady promptly rolled in the dirt...."Bless her heart"

updates

 Day one and two


 

 


 

I have had a very busy two days. Yesterday we cleaned tack and worked the "kids" Jim rode Cody but I couldn't get myself to get on even though I had her saddled and ready while I worked her. I told Jim I couldn't do it in the afternoon while I thought about it all day and my feet getting heavier and heavier. So this AM we got up early 6:30 and I went out to feed. At 7:45 I went out and cleaned Lady and took her to the round pen to work. When Jim came out he got the tack out and I returned and brushed her and saddled her up. I still have bridle trouble so Jim did do that for me. I worked her with the saddle then walked her out the gate with Cody. I put on my helmet walked her to the mounting block and before my brain could kick in I threw my leg over and got on. This is a first..no hesitation no pain. I also had shorts on so my pants were not hampering me and I think I'll ride this way for a bit till my leg and hip can take this action. We went across the yard and started out to cross the street when they both heard Molly running and he hawing and both jumped and almost spooked. Heart pounding I was ready to bail and I knew if I did I'd never ever ride again. So I straightened her out she calmed down and off we went on a half hour ride around the neighbors "lake". It's a pond very large and we refer to it as 'Lake Chuck" after the guy who owns the property. He has given Jim and I permission to ride there in exchange of free "fertilizer" LOL. Lady did her typical oooh , oooh look at that , what's that as she was really excited to be going somewhere. I think this will continue till I put more hours on her and she is used to getting away from the pasture. I need to do more work with her till she pays attention "to me" not her surroundings. She needs to "listen". So if all goes well more work tomorrow under saddle. Jim and I caught by the security camera heading out.

 

 Day two was more of the same working both horses then saddled up and rode the round pen alone then with  Cody and Jim. We need more of this. Happy to report she and I did AWESOME...she started to listen and I got a bit braver.

Now the average reader wouldn't get all this...just get on and ride and maybe the average horse person too unless they understood the background here. Beside having my hip operated on a few years ago and being in pain for nigh two years then getting on last year for the first time in welllllllyears and falling off twice..my fault and being almost  a month short of 70 yrs old I am a basket case when it comes to riding. Love my horse...work with my horse buuuuuutttttt get on and it's hear in throat and palpitations that you wouldn't believe.....so for me this is a great DEAL.

 So it's yeah Lady and yeah me!!!


 Day 3

 Fathers Day

Fun for us. Jim's knees are really bad though. I worked Lady per my schedule then he hooked up the trailer for another Cody lesson. Cody took one look at him bringing the truck and trailer around and started running away to the back of the pasture. Jim could not catch him. I had to get him and Jim walked him to the round pen for a lesson in humility. Cody was real bad. Making his butt turn in on his turns and kicking up "saying kiss my big paint BUTT" so I went in as Jim's knees couldn't take it and he couldn't move to make Cody go. Luckily I now can . He did the same to me so I ran his big paint butt. Since he was so inclined to do so. I would turn and make him go the other way and if he didn't turn in to me I made him turn and run some more. I then stood passive and watched him..tried to coax him in ...but he wasn't paying attention...the suddenly he did and as soon as he did I turned him and encouraged him off again turning him to go the other way. Once he started paying attention he figured out I didn't want him to gallop just slow lope turn when I ask and go the other way and then I would call him in to rest. I then flexed the heck out of him till he was quite humble and willing to behave. Jim then walked him out and right in the trailer. We then loaded Lady and took them for a ride so they would know the trailer did not have to mean Vet or that bad place from last summer. Both behaved and were quite relaxed so we stopped at Wal-Mart took their picture bought some soda and brought them home. Both backed off relaxed ate grass then got tied to their learning poles where Jim put hay bags and water for them. After work they get tied to think. We went in and had lunch then I went out and let them loose, they got cookies for being good and both had real soft "love you Mommy" looks in their eyes.  All this is in prep for when my skills are honed and we can take them off site to either camp or ride. Baby steps and learning for the four of us.
Who says Horses do not shop at Wal-Mart



OK so we didn't ride but it is a very good day.

All of the days above and today are ending in hours in the pool where we loll around , exercise my legs and just all out relax.  The days for trail and camp will be soon.

Barn building is on a sort of standstill. Jim still needs more lumber and I think MoJo. LOL Plus it's either gonna rain or it's too hot. He wants to get it done for when his grand-kids show up this summer, so they can sleep in the room above the barn. I also need room to store some things to make a place in the spare room. I hate having people sleep in my living room. I  must say however his daughter Lisa is an easy guest as are her children. Still it's so much easier to have a bedroom and a living room. LOL

We ordered are work shirts yesterday one a Wrangler short sleeve with just Dry Creek Ranch for Jim that we kinda got a deal on as they came in for Loretta Lynn's ranch and were turned down because they are 100% cotton. They are making a patch to go over Loretta's name and adding Dry Creek and putting Jim's name on the other side. I also ordered red man's shirts with a pocket for my stable and  Irish green ones without pockets for me and visors. Cool look. We got them in town and they were quite reasonable. His daughter and kids wanted shirts so I ordered them ones too. Breigs will have red and Lisa and Lauryen a green one.

My new logo will be on the back and a smaller one on the front.

Jim is having stick on cutouts for his truck made and we will also order ones for the jeep...no more magnetic crap that blows off.

Cody's Success

About a month ago we had an appointment to take Cody and Lady to the vet. We try to put Cody in first as he is nervous about his space. Walked him to the gate and he refused to get on stood there and stared into the trailer. We worked him and tried again to no avail. so we put him back and loaded Lady and just took her. We ended up having the vet come to us for Cody. While she was here we had blood pulled on lady to check for Metabolic disease which came back negative.
The other day Jim took Cody out and worked him around the trailer still the same reaction so we decided to treat him like a kid....bribery.... Jim led him to the trailer and showed him a bucket with feed in it....get at least your front feet in and you get a treat.......it worked.

 We stopped at that. The next day Jim knowing he hated to step up made him a ramp.  He worked on it for an hour. Led Cody to it and he avoided it and tried to step up. So Jim took the ramp away got a bucket of feed walked straight to the trailer and in Cody followed without a hitch..

 he gave him a treat told him how good he was then let him back off.

 He did this about four times without a hitch till Cody realized he wasn't going to get hurt by the trailer. Each time was a success.

What a good boy.

I looked out this morning to find Jim working with Cody. it was a good site to see. We need both our babies ready to ride as the weather has been perfect. Both need hours under saddle to make good mounts. I went out to the trailer and got Ladies halter and lead figuring I too would do some more work this AM. While Jim worked with Cody in the round pen I worked Lady outside of it. I was surprised when I whistled and clicked at her when she gave me two eyes (as we say) and turned and faced me. She quickly dropped her head into her halter and picked right up on her ques. It seems she wanted to show off how well she did. So while Cody worked with his dad Lady worked with her Mom. She side passed, backed, flexed, yielded and went on the poing straight across the front of the pasture without a blink. Not missing a que... I say side pass , well our way not great but for us it is for now..It's a work in progress. Today though she was ready  and anticipating her front quarter and he hind quarter move and almost had it down. For today we accepted her three steps on each side...tomorrow we go for more. I now have her backing by lifting up on the clip under her chin and with out a lot of effort. I even did a crazy dance back step beside her and she backed with me. She was having fun.

After we worked I pointed her down the side of the pasture....point with your arm up so she goes in that direction ..yield her HQ (hindquarters,,,and point to the other direction doing the same to the HQ..we did this in a line down half of the back pasture then walked to the gate where we went out had some grass and de shedding.
Then we sent them into the pasture again and went to sit in the barn where they joined us.